Céline is the only reported victim of a syringe attack during Luxembourg’s National Day celebrations on 22 June. Far from a prank, the incident has left the young French intern with physical and psychological scars, prompting her to speak out in the hope of raising awareness.
“I was on Place du Théâtre in Luxembourg […] I had moved a few metres away from my other friends, and that’s when the person passed behind me and jabbed me at the bottom of my buttock. I jumped and turned around. I only had time to see the person running away into the crowd,” she recalls.
“In that moment, I just felt a needle go in. The sensation is strange, not necessarily painful, because under the stress, it’s not the first thing you feel. […] The first thing I thought of was to go straight to my friends. Because you never know if a drug has been injected, or anything else. So I’d say the first few minutes are the most stressful, because you don’t know if you’re going to pass out. One of my friends dragged me to the security team to ask for help…"
Céline, whose name has been changed, breaks off, unable to finish her sentence. Shaking as she sobs, she wipes away her tears.
Now 18 and on internship in Luxembourg, Céline says the trauma remains fresh. Though hers is the only officially recorded case from the night of 22 June, sources indicate other victims may have been assaulted as well.
Together with her friends, she sought help. “We went to the security team, who called the hospital to find out exactly what needed to be done. They told me to file a complaint and that there were cameras at the festival site.”
The group took a taxi to Kirchberg Hospital, only to find there was no emergency service during the night. They eventually reached the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL) around midnight.
Read also: What is needle spiking?
“At the hospital, I was well received, first at the emergency room, then in the infectious diseases unit. They explained that a first blood test needed to be done, but that it wouldn’t reveal everything right away, and I would need to return six weeks later for another test.” Céline produces a hospital document outlining the required tests.
Still, she does not know if something was injected. In the coming weeks, she must live with the uncertainty and fear of infection from diseases such as HIV or hepatitis.
Medical experts warn that even so-called “empty” syringes are not harmless. Reusing syringes can cause infections, and an injection of air could lead to a gas embolism, potentially blocking a blood vessel.
During her hospital visit, Céline learned she wasn’t the only woman to come in for a syringe attack that night. “They told me others had already come before me, and that more might arrive, because it was just around midnight when we got there.”
The next day, accompanied by a friend, Céline went to the police. Despite waiting for over two hours, she says, “I was well received by the police. But when it came to filing the complaint, they admitted that filing against an unknown person would be long and complicated, and that it would be better just to report an ‘incident’ to the police, without there being an investigation into what had happened. Since I had already waited two hours, I didn’t insist.”
Does she regret it? “Maybe. I should have pushed a bit more.” However, her internship is ending soon, she notes, “so I didn’t really want to have to come back to Luxembourg and go through the process…"
Whether a complaint could have led to the identification of the perpetrator through city surveillance footage remains unknown. RTL reached out to the police for comment on the attempted complaint and to learn whether an investigation is under way. At the time of publication, no response had been received.*
*Editor’s note: Police responded a few hours after publication. Their statement has been added at the end of the article.
Céline is now dealing with the physical impact of the assault.
A few hours later, she says, she noticed a mark and pain in the injection area. “The next day, I had pain radiating from the injection site down to my feet, along my leg. A few days later, it travelled up to my back. And now, it’s been 3–4 days that I’ve had sciatica with back pain, difficulty walking. I also have nerve root damage.”
These symptoms may stem from the jab site, near the sciatic nerve. “We think the jab may have caused inflammation that affected the already fragile nerve.” Céline, who suffers from a chronic illness, says a physiotherapist confirmed reduced strength and sensation in the area.
Psychologically, she adds, the experience has been deeply distressing. “There’s already a lot of stress in the moment. A lot. […] I don’t think this assault will stop me from going out or make me afraid. But I have noticed I’m more alert when someone is too close behind me. I don’t feel as at ease anymore.”
Asked whether she is considering therapy, she replies, “Not necessarily, for now. It’s only been a week and a half. But I’m not ruling it out, maybe later, when I go back to France – I don’t know.”
So why did she decide to speak out? “Because I think it’s important to talk about it. In Luxembourg, it’s still not well known, and only one case has been recorded. But when I arrived at the hospital, they told me about several women who had been assaulted in the same way. Many women don’t file complaints or don’t want to talk about it, and I think it’s important to speak out to show that we’re not alone, and that it happens more often than people think. And that it’s happening more and more, especially because of social media. This wave of random needle attacks started with a social media challenge to do it as much as possible.”
In France, on the night of 21 June, 145 people reported syringe attacks following social media posts encouraging users to “attack and jab women during the Fête de la Musique.” Victims were reported in cities including Metz and Thionville. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has reminded the public that inciting people to use a syringe without a substance is punishable by up to three years in prison, and by up to ten years if a drug is used.
In Luxembourg, the public prosecutor’s office confirms that:
So far, the pattern appears to show women and teenage girls as the primary targets. “I don’t know if these are sexist attacks – I think most of them are – but there are also men being jabbed, even if they’re a minority,” says Céline. “Actually, I think it’s a mix of things. Some people jab to take advantage of the victim, using drugs. I think others do it to feel stronger, to instil fear in the person. Maybe some do it to express disapproval of what we wear or the fact that we go out partying. But really, I don’t think we can ever truly know what goes on in the minds of these attackers.”
Asked what she expects now in relation to her attacker, she replies, “Not much. But I talked about it with friends, and we find one thing strange: these attackers rarely come alone, they’re often accompanied. So are those people accomplices, witnesses? I find it strange. I just don’t understand how they can support something like this.”
And what does she say to those who minimise the event by claiming it was “just” a needle, not a knife? “Maybe it’s less serious to be jabbed with a needle than stabbed with a knife, but it’s still a physical assault. And what I find worst about this attack is that you don’t really know what the person used to jab you. Where the needle has been. Whether something was injected or not. Because I also heard that now, people are injecting bleach. So the most terrifying part is not really knowing what happened, if you were injected with drugs. It causes a lot of stress.”
On Thursday morning, the Grand Ducal Police sent a response regarding syringe attacks in Luxembourg. The first piece of information: a complaint has been filed for an assault “which could potentially be linked to this type of attack. It concerns a person who presented themselves at a police station on 26 June 2025 and filed a complaint. They stated that they had been in Luxembourg City on the evening of 22 June 2025 and had felt a slight stabbing pain followed by a mild itch. Shortly afterwards, they experienced pain in the hip area, after which they went to the hospital for a medical examination. An investigation has been opened into the matter,” police wrote. It remains to be seen whether this is indeed another syringe assault.
As for Céline’s attempt to file a complaint on 23 June, police reported that she “stated she had felt, during the night from Sunday to Monday, a prick resembling that of a syringe while partying at Place du Théâtre in Luxembourg City. The woman said she felt no pain or any other unusual symptoms. However, she went to the hospital as a precaution to be examined. No complaint has been filed to date, so we have no information on what followed.”
Céline claims the officer discouraged her from filing a complaint. “It is up to the victim to decide whether they wish to file a complaint. The police officer informs the citizen of the possible procedures, and the latter then decides whether they want to file a complaint,” police responded.
They added that Céline’s report still serves a purpose: “This information can be recorded in order to keep a record of the statement. This may, for example, prove useful if the victim decides to file a complaint at a later time.”
Have you been the victim of a syringe or needle assault in Luxembourg or the surrounding area? Have you committed such an assault and wish to speak out? You can contact our journalist at romain.vandyck@rtl.com. Anonymity guaranteed.
